New York’s railroad museums cover everything from the Niagara Frontier to Long Island. The Railroad Museum of Long Island has two visitor sites, the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum runs an operating collection, and Medina, Salamanca, Phoenicia and Arkville add depot and heritage railway stops.
Each listing below links to a full guide with the history, what to look for and how to reach the operator.
Railroad museums & collections — 4
Empire State Railway Museum
The Empire State Railway Museum occupies a historic station at Phoenicia in the Catskills. Founded in 1960 and established at Phoenicia in 1983, the museum preserves railway history in a setting closely connected with regional travel and tourism. The building helps explain how stations served mountain communities and visitors. This is a focused depot museum, distinct from other railway activities in the Catskills, with current opening dates best checked before traveling.
Read the guide →Medina Railroad Museum
The Medina Railroad Museum preserves railway history in a historic depot and supports the restoration of vintage railway cars. Its exhibits and historical material connect the station with the wider railroad world that served western New York. The depot’s scale and survival are important parts of the attraction, alongside the smaller artifacts.
Read the guide →Railroad Museum of Long Island
The Railroad Museum of Long Island preserves the equipment, artifacts and stories of the railroads that helped develop Long Island. Its two sites, at Riverhead and Greenport, provide different settings for exploring that history and should not share a single undifferentiated address. The collection’s regional focus connects railway travel with the island’s communities and economy. Exhibits and activities differ by location.
Read the guide →Salamanca Rail Museum
The Salamanca Rail Museum occupies a restored 1912 Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh passenger depot. Its red-oak interior, lofty main lobby and furnished ticket office help evoke the experience of early twentieth-century travel. Exhibits emphasize the Erie, Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads that served the region. Saved after years of vacancy, the depot is a particularly useful example of volunteers and public support recovering a railway building as a community museum.
Read the guide →Operating & preservation collections — 2
Delaware & Ulster Railroad — Heritage Collection
The Delaware & Ulster Railroad preserves a Catskills railway experience at Arkville, drawing on the history of the Ulster & Delaware route. Historic equipment and the surviving railway corridor make it relevant as an operating heritage collection, even though it is not a conventional indoor museum. The setting helps explain rail travel’s role in connecting mountain communities and visitors. Current trips and any separate exhibit access should be checked with the operator before fixed visitor information is published.
Read the guide →Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum preserves, restores and operates equipment to explain the railway industry in Rochester and its surrounding region. The organization traces its roots to 1937, reflecting a longstanding local interest in preservation. Its operating approach allows visitors to understand historic vehicles as working machines rather than isolated exhibits. The collection is a strong choice for readers interested in regional railroads and restoration, with public experiences organized around the museum’s current calendar.
Read the guide →Archives & research collections — 1
Ride a train in New York
Museums are for walking around; these operators run trains you can ride.
- Adirondack Railroad — Utica: scenic excursion railway
- Arcade & Attica Railroad — Arcade: heritage steam railway
- Catskill Mountain Railroad — Kingston: heritage excursion railway
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — flagship sites and state guides
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region
- Railroad museums in Connecticut
- Railroad museums in Delaware
- Railroad museums in District of Columbia
- Railroad museums in Maine
- Railroad museums in Maryland
- Railroad museums in Massachusetts
- Railroad museums in New Hampshire
- Railroad museums in New Jersey
- Railroad museums in Pennsylvania
- Railroad museums in Vermont